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Clan Boswell (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Boswell

Clan Crest: A falcon Proper, hooded Gules, jessed and belled, Or

Clan Motto: Vraye Foi (True Faith)

Lands: Berwickshire

Clan Chief: None, armigerous clan

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Clan Boswell History

The name Boswall is derived from a French placename.

Robert de Boseuille, who witnessed several charters of William the Lion and is said to have had land in Berwickshire, was the first of the name in Scotland.

Before 1200, Paganus de Bosseuilla gave the Abbey of Kelso a bovate of land in Edenham.

Around 1225, Henry de Boysuill witnessed a charter granted to Norman, son of Malcolm by John, Earl of Huntingdon.

Walter de Boseville was captured at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296, and in the same year, both William de Boseville of Berwickshire and William de Boseville of Roxburghshire paid homage.

In 1329, William de Boswill received payment for Sir Alexander de Seton, and between 1368 and 1369, Roger de Bosseuyll was customar and burgess of Edinburgh.

Around the mid-fourteenth century, Roger de Boswell married Mariota, daughter and co-heiress of Sir William Lochore of that ilk, and was the first of the family to settle in Fife.

During the 17th century, the Boswells married into the Auchinleck family and eventually acquired the lands of Auchinleck. In 1760, Alexander, 8th Laird of Auchinleck, built Auchinleck House near Ayr. James Boswell, the famous biographer of Dr Samuel Johnson, was his son, the 9th Laird.

Auchinleck House is located in East Ayrshire. The Auchinleck estate originally belonged to a family of the same name and included a 13th-century castle. After the male Auchinleck line failed, James IV granted the lands and title to a Thomas Boswell, who married the daughter of Sir John Auchinleck. The current Auchinleck House was constructed in the 1700s and was owned by the Boswell family until 1986.

Clan Boswell Places & People

Clan Boswell Individuals

James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (October 29, 1740 – May 19, 1805)

James Boswell was a lawyer, author, and diarist best known for his Life of Samuel Johnson, a biography of the English literary giant Samuel Johnson published in 1791.

Clan Boswell Locations

Balmuto Castle (top image)

Balmuto Castle in Fife began as a tower in the 1400s. In the first half of the 15th century, the Boswells obtained a portion of the lands at Balmuto through marriage with the Glen family. James II confirmed this in either 1439 or 1440.

Over the centuries, the castle was expanded and renovated, eventually becoming a mansion house. After spending much of the twentieth century in a state of partial ruin, American Harry Boswell purchased Balmuto in the 1960s and oversaw its restoration between 1974 and 1984, and it is now a private residence.

Clan Boswell Tartans

Colonel W P Boswell of Toberchurn's Coat of Arms inspired the Boswell tartan colors.

This is a restricted tartan, and weaving it would require permission. As a result, Boswells can also wear the tartans of Tweedside, Ayrshire, or Fife District, which represent the clan's origins.

The Boswell tartan

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Tweedside Borough

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District of Ayrshire

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District of Fife

Clan Boswell Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Boswell Coat of Arms

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Description of the Crest:

A proper falcon, hooded Gules, jessed and belled, Or

Coats of Arms of Clan Boswell

A word about Coats of Arms:

A coat of arms is granted to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist. With the exceptions noted above, the arms depicted below are personal arms. Only the person who has been granted these weapons has the right to use them.